The Names of the Months

February: named after Februalia, a time period when sacrifices were made to atone for sins

March: named after Mars, the god of war

April: from aperire, Latin for “to open” (buds)

May: named after Maia, the goddess of growth of plants

June: from junius, Latin for the goddess Juno

July: named after Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.

August: named after Augustus Caesar in 8 B.C.

September: from septem, Latin for “seven”

October: from octo, Latin for “eight”

November: from novem, Latin for “nine”

December: from decem, Latin for “ten”

NOTE: The earliest Latin calendar was a 10-month one, beginning with March; thus, September was the seventh month, October, the eighth, etc. July was originally called Quintilis, meaning fifth; August was originally called Sextilis, meaning sixth.